Blogs from South, Cote d'Ivoire, Africa

Capita spesso, in Africa, di trascorrere tutta la giornata compressi su di un sudicio e surriscaldato taxi in compagnia di un'altra decina di sventurati passeggeri nel disperato tentativo di riuscire a percorrere senza intoppi quella decina di chilometri che ti separano dalla prossima destinazione; si arriva immancabilmente verso sera, sudati e ricoperti di polvere, col deretano sformato e le articolazioni rese insensibili da ore ed ore di forzata immobilita'. Tutto cio' che si vuole a questo punto e' di avere a disposizione una comoda e confortevole camera in cui poter far riposare le proprie stanche membra e dimenticare il caldo e gli odori molesti della strada; niente di eccezionale tutto sommato, soltanto un po' di semplice normalita'. Non in Africa Occidentale! Alla costante ricerca delle sistemazioni piu' economiche in citta', e comunque di qualsiasi cosa che ... read more

Visit Abidjan cathedral, sort of in the shape of a suspension bridge, swing by the area where a lot of the city's Laundry is done in a local river, around 40 men pounding and slapping clothes into the water & over old tyres. 08/12/15 head to Grand Bassam Beach and camp at Drogba Beach; a simple beach resort. Next day take a stroll to the old colonial capital to see the interesting if not deteriorating old French architecture, highlight being the fishing village at the end of town with some very enthusiastic crews singing French shanties whilst heaving their nets in. Cook dinner with our cook group followed by a dance performance by a local group, cool drumming, girls, spirit devil outfits and flames. 3 of us head into Grand Bassam town with the dance crew ... read more

Monday Day 51 We'd camped in a village not far beyond the border town and soon had a decent sized crowd gathered around us. Tents were pegged down in case the storm actually hit (it didn't) and cook team started setting up. Small things can excite us at this stage, like the prospect of meat for dinner after more than a week without due to weather and lack of ice but now we had ice and meat (and cold bottles of water!) and we sat around waiting. Usually there'd be more interaction with the locals but being bumped around and having to hold on and duck branches was draining so although maybe not much of an excuse, most sat quietly. Dinner was a delicious beef and rice stew and I went to bed soon after, desperate ... read more

That's right...I went to the Ivory Coast! Was it a bit nuts, scary, sketchy and everything else you'd imagine it to be? DAMN STRAIGHT it was!! Heather, Christina and I decided to go to the Ivory Coast for 4 days - three girls, on our own - we knew it would be a bit sketch but as adventurous as we are we were up for it! Three of our other friends were going to go with us but then when they went to the embassy (US citizens don't need a visa but Alessandro is from Italy) they were told that US citizens DO need a visa. We didnt have enough time to apply so the there of us girls decided we would just head for the border (about 5 hours) and try to cross anyways. When ... read more

October 27: Headed to the chaotic Kaneshie station to find transportation to the west of Ghana en route to our ultimate destination: Cote d'Ivoire. Stopped for a quick lunch in the dirty port town of Takoradi before heading for the Ivorian border at Elubo. Like most border towns, Elubo is not a terribly pleasant place to linger: money changers hissed and yelled as we passed, waving handfulls of CFA Francs in the air; the dispossessed huddled under the corrogated tin roofs of delapidated buildings; and hustlers, pushers, and muggers patrolled the rough, unsurfaced roads. With the sunlight fleeting in late afternoon, we were forced to locate accommodation on the border: a place described as being "clean, comfortable and very affordable" by our guidebook. It was a dump. The receptionist, a boy probably no older than 12, ... read more